As the world comes together to celebrate the FIFA World Cup 2026, we are reminded of something bigger than the beautiful game. 48 nations from across the globe are showcasing their best: teamwork, resilience, and a commitment to helping their countries succeed - both on and off the field.  

But when it comes to supporting families, the United States’ standing remains in last place. 

Every country competing in the FIFA World Cup guarantees paid leave for new parents, except for one.  That's right - the United States remains the only country in this tournament without a national paid family medical leave policy. 

In fact, the United States is one of only 7 countries left in the world that lacks a national paid leave program, putting them in the same bracket as Marshall Island, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papau New Guinea, and Tonga.  
 
Research consistently shows that paid family leave improves infant and maternal health, 
increases workforce participation, and strengthens financial stability. Yet too many parents are forced to return to work just days or weeks after the birth or adoption of a child because they simply cannot afford to take unpaid time off.  

As United States’ fans cheer for their team in this Cup, we must shoot for another goal worth fighting for: ensuring every family can provide needed care for their family without risking their financial future. The 2026 World Cup reminds us that is far past time for the United States to stop sitting on the sidelines and join the rest of the world in guaranteeing Paid Family Medical Leave. 

Read more about the benefits of paid leave and information by clicking below.  

Children’s Action Alliance’s board of directors has named David Lujan as Executive Director of Children’s Action Alliance. In a statement, Board Chair, David Higuera, said, “David Lujan has shown time and time again that he is dedicated to the well-being of children in Arizona because he knows a strong foundation for Arizona’s children is a strong foundation for this state. The board is excited to welcome back David, who recently led the state agency charged with the safety of children, and previously was a tremendous leader for Children’s Action Alliance.”

David previously served as the CEO/Director for the Arizona Department of Child Safety and in K-12 education leadership roles. David’s prior history with CAA began in 2016, as the inaugural director of The Arizona Center for Economic Progress to advance policies that create fairer tax codes and better economic opportunities for all Arizonans. He then was appointed by the board to serve as CAA’s CEO and President. Before joining CAA, David worked in public policy in Arizona for over 20 years in several roles including a former member of the state Senate and House of Representatives, as an attorney for a nonprofit assisting abused and neglected children, and as an assistant attorney general advising the School Facilities Board.

CAA announced in February that January Contreras, CAA’s current Executive Director, would be departing CAA this month. “We would also like to express our deepest gratitude to January Contreras for her leadership since 2023, and for her support of this leadership transition for the important work of CAA.”

We are excited to welcome David to our team!

Last night, Children’s Action Alliance and community members joined to share thanks with January Contreras, CAA's Executive Director, on her last day of leading our mission for Arizona’s children and families. 

Thank you to Mayor Kate Gallego for the fun and special proclamation naming June 17^th, 2026 as January Contreras Day, and to Congressman Greg Stanton for sending a Congressional Certificate of Commendation.

Our special thanks to the partners and supporters who joined us last night and who stand up for Arizona’s children every day beside CAA.

The CAA team thanks January for her many contributions and the lasting impact she’s had on those we serve!

Arizona ranks 40^th overall in child well-being, up from last year’s ranking of 42^nd, according to the 2026 KIDS COUNT Data Book, a 50-state report of recent data developed by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The data show a step in the right direction and also that Arizona leaders must do more to put affordable housing, health care, and preschool within reach of families to meet unmet needs.

“Families who are working so hard to rise above the poverty line are also facing higher costs for food, gas, housing, and child care. When a family’s purchasing power is decreasing, it’s hard to catch up and feel peace of mind. The tough decisions that come with financial stress impact the whole family, including kids,” said January Contreras, Executive Director of Children’s Action Alliance, a member of the Casey Foundation’s KIDS COUNT network.

The current and prior KIDS COUNT DATA Books show that:

• In 2024, the share of children in Arizona living in poverty remained unchanged from the prior year’s 15% in 2023. The national rate is 15%.
• The share of children in Arizona living in households with a high housing cost burden remains stubbornly high at 29%, nearly one out of every three children. The national rate is even higher at 31%.
• The share of children in Arizona who are uninsured continues to be among the highest in the country at 9%. The national rate is much lower at 6%.
• The share of three and four-year old children not in school in 2020–2024 in Arizona is 65%, significantly higher than then the national rate of 54%. 
• 36% of children in Arizona live in single-parent families compared to the national rate of 34%.

According to the KIDS COUNT Data Center, the median income by family type varies widely: In Arizona, the median income for a two-parent household with children is $121,930; for a single father with children is $60,300; for a grandparent raising a grandchild without a parent in the home is $51,211, and for a single mom with children is $44,093. Policymakers must understand that disparities in family income often impact a child’s opportunities and access to health care, food, housing, and child care.

In addition to comprehensive data available at the Data Center, the Data Book reports on 16 indicators of child well-being based on data from 2019 to 2024. Arizona’s highest ranking was in economic well-being where the state ranked 31st, and its lowest ranking was in education, where Arizona ranked 47^th, among the five lowest scoring states in the country, according to the 2024 data in the Data Book.

Children’s Action Alliance recognizes important actions taken by Governor Hobbs and the Arizona State Legislature including increased funding for affordable child care, and expansion of Kids Care for children in working families, and ensuring school meals are available to eligible children. We encourage lawmakers and communities to unite across party lines and respond at all levels of government by investing in young people.

As the Governor, legislature, and local leaders set the course for Arizona, Children’s Action Alliance urges policies that include:

• Staffing, technology, and public education to ensure that eligible children and families are not prevented from basic services through Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) simply due to costly and complicated administrative burdens imposed by new federal laws and regulations;
• Increased access to affordable child care;
• Increased access to affordable housing; and
• Increased support through the kinship stipend to support grandparents and kin raising their grandchildren; and
• Full funding for K-12 education.

The uninsured rate for our nation’s youngest children is rising at an alarming pace, and the trend should be a wake-up call for Arizona’s policymakers. After years of progress, more infants, toddlers, and preschoolers are going without health insurance. It’s a troubling reversal that puts young children’s health and development at risk while adding financial stress for families already stretched thin by rising costs.

A new report from the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families (CCF) shows that more than 43,200 children ages 0-6 were uninsured in Arizona in 2024. The report shows that 9 percent of Arizona’s children under age 6 were uninsured in 2024, compared to 7.4 percent in 2022. Unfortunately, Arizona ranks well above the national share of 5.3 percent and has the third highest rate of uninsured children under 6 in the nation. 

The findings highlight what’s at stake for our youngest children:

• More young children are losing coverage. Babies, toddlers, and preschoolers are seeing sharper coverage losses than older children just as they need important check up appointments. 
• Coverage protects families from rising costs. Health insurance helps families afford care, avoid medical debt, and give young children a healthier, more stable start.
• Without action, more children could lose coverage. Medicaid cuts and new administrative hurdles could make it harder for families to get and keep health insurance for their children.

Research shows that Medicaid coverage for children is linked to better access to care and improved health, educational, and economic outcomes in adulthood. Access to health care is especially important for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, who require frequent visits to the doctor during their earliest years of life. When young children are insured, families have a better chance of detecting developmental delays and other health issues that can affect a child’s ability to learn. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends 12 checkups by the time a toddler turns 3, helping ensure children are developing properly and receiving the preventive care they need.

More recent enrollment data adds to the concern. Georgetown CCF’s Medicaid and CHIP enrollment tracker has recorded nearly 75,000 fewer children (-11.3%), enrolled in Medicaid/CHIP since January 2025 in Arizona.

The situation in Arizona could have been even worse, but Governor Hobbs and the Arizona Legislature scored a bipartisan win for children when they expanded the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) – Kids Care – to 225% of the Federal Poverty Limit beginning in 2024, allowing over 22,000 more children to qualify for health care coverage.

Coverage matters for parents, too. When parents lose their health coverage, their children are more likely to become uninsured, putting the whole family at risk of financial hardship.

We can all agree that no child should have to go without health care. Children’s Action Alliance urges Arizona lawmakers to take action to reduce the number of uninsured young children and ensure eligible children can get and keep affordable health coverage. As Arizona’s budget negotiations are finalized, it is critical Arizona’s leaders provide funding for AHCCCS and DES to meet the implementation challenges of H.R.1 and prevent even more children from losing health care coverage.

Arizona Children and Families in Need

Arizona is experiencing a rapid decline in enrollment in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) which is putting Arizona children and families at risk of going hungry. In the past year, over 47% of Arizonans have lost their SNAP benefits, with almost half of the children enrolled in SNAP losing access to help that puts food on their tables.

A steep decline has occurred since H.R.1, formally titled One Big Beautiful Bill, went into effect. From August 2025 to February 2026, enrollment in Arizona declined at an alamering pace. Over 400,000 Arizonans – with more than 175,000 children – have lost critical support they rely on to afford groceries. The enactment of this harmful federal law dramatically shifts costs to states and increases hunger in our nation. Arizona has seen the greatest drop in enrollment of any state in the country.

New SNAP  Tracker Shed Light on Impact to People 

While the federal administration moves to reduce and eliminate data, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) is working to preserve it. CBPP created a SNAP tracker so we can understand how loss of food assistance is impacting our state.

What Can Help Children and Families?

While work continues to retract the harmful federal H.R. 1, we must mitigate the number of eligible Arizonans who lose SNAP benefits due to implementation of this harmful federal law.

Children’s Action Alliance is advocating for the following:

At the State Legislature:

• CAA urges the legislature and Governor to include $16.6 million in the state budget this year for the Arizona Department of Economic Security to modernize and staff their SNAP eligibility and enrollment systems to keep up with the changes required by H.R. 1. 
• CAA urges opposition to legislation that creates additional obstacles and bureaucracy for administration of the SNAP program for Arizonans. Governor Hobbs has vetoed such bills and we implore her to continue to do so.

In Congress:

• CAA urges Congress to delay the unprecedented shift of SNAP costs to states for two years. Like bipartisan calls from state and local leaders from across the country, we continue to sound the alarm about the harm that is being experienced and how that will accelerate without congressional intervention.

Our families, neighbors, and community members should not go hungry.

A Look at Early Childhood Development Data 

Early childhood development is not just cute preschool pictures, it is about the foundation we set for a child’s lifelong success. By the time a child is 3, their brain grows to about 80% of adult size and 90%, nearly full grown, by age 5. The early years of a child’s life are critical for building the foundation of learning, health, and wellness needed to succeed in school and later in life. That’s why the latest national and state data on 3-year-old development, including a troubling picture for Arizona, deserves our attention. 

What Does “Healthy and Ready to Learn” Mean? 

The “Healthy and Ready to Learn" measure, developed from the National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH) and analyzed by Child Trends, assesses whether children ages 3 to 5 are on track developmentally across multiple key domains, including: 

• Early learning skills 
• Social-emotional development 
• Self-regulation 
• Motor development 
• Health 

A child who scores “on track” across these areas is considered “healthy and ready to learn”, which means the child has the foundation they need to succeed as they enter school and begin formal learning. Nationally, about 64.1% of 3-year-olds in the United States met this standard. As that is encouraging, there’s significant variation across states.  

Why Arizona’s Youngest Learners Need Our Attention 

While a majority of children nationwide are on track, Arizona’s data tells a different story. Many states exceed the national average for children considered ready to learn. However, Arizona is among those with some of the lowest readiness rates, ranking second lowest nationally at 48.9% in the percentage of 3-year-olds considered “healthy and ready to learn” compared to other states. This means a much smaller share of Arizona’s 3-year-olds are developmentally on track compared to their peers across the country. 

Factors for Arizona’s challenges may be deepened by issues such as:  

• Low preschool access and enrollment: Arizona ranks low in preschool enrollment, which contributes to fewer early learning opportunities than most states.  
• Child well-being struggles: Arizona ranks among worst states for childhood well-being at 42nd overall. This is largely due to the education category, where the disparities are evident among Arizona’s youngest learners. 

Children Ages 3 and 4 Not Enrolled in Early Learning 

Together, these trends show that Arizona is not providing enough support early enough. If we invest early, we can have the greatest long-term impact.

What Arizona Can Do

Arizona’s low ranking is not just a statistic- it must be a call to action for our policymakers. To improve early childhood outcomes, Arizona must:

• Increase access to quality preschool
  States with universal or state supported preschool programs often see higher readiness percentages. Programs that serve children ages 3 and up help build early learning and social skills that are essential for kindergarten success.
• Invest in early childhood support services
  From developmental screenings to high-quality child care and early learning settings, investments now can reduce costly challenges later.
• Support families and caregivers.
  Programs that help families with parenting resources, child care, and health access create environments where children can thrive
• Expand quality early childhood infrastructure.
  Supporting the early childhood workforce and providers, improving child care capacity, and ensuring that families with low-incomes have access to quality early learning are critical steps.

A Future Where Every Child Is Ready

Arizona’s youngest learners deserve better. At Children’s Action Alliance, we believe that every child should have the chance to succeed, and our investments must reflect that long before kindergarten. An overwhelming majority of Arizona’s funding for early childhood programs is from the federal government, leaving a small portion of dedicated funding from state and local sources. Bipartisan efforts by Governor Hobbs and the Arizona Legislature have made the largest state investments in child care in more than a decade but more is needed. By focusing on early childhood development, especially in underserved communities, Arizona can close gaps, strengthen our K-12 education system, and build a more equitable future for all children.

 As negotiations take place on Arizona’s next state budget, we urge policymakers to continue increasing funding for affordable child care and services that support the development and school-readiness of Arizona’s youngest children.  We especially encourage a budget that prioritizes reducing the child care assistance waitlist and make funding available for a child care infrastructure grant program for rural and underserved communities.

Across the state, too many families are struggling to find child care that is affordable, reliable, and close to home- and the challenge is even greater in rural and underserved communities. This problem is known as the child care gap. The child care gap measures the potential difference between how many licensed child care slots exist and how many children age five and under live in homes where all available parents are working. In Arizona, that gap is already 16.5% statewide. But in rural communities, the numbers are far more alarming. Safford faces a child care gap of 66.1%, while Payson’s gap is 60.6%-leaving the majority of working families with young children without reliable, accessible child care. That means there are so many families in some areas of Arizona that simply do not have access to child care- even if they want to work and can afford it. 

When families cannot find child care, the impacts ripple through the entire community: 

• Children do not have access to quality early learning that leads them to enter kindergarten ready to thrive 

• Parents are forced to cut back their work hours, leave jobs, or turn down better opportunities 

• Businesses struggle to hire and keep workers 

• The state loses billions of dollars each year in lost productivity and tax revenue 

Child care is not just a family issue- it is a workforce issue, a business issue, and an economic issue. 

So how do we fix it? 

Arizona needs a policy solution that helps bring more child care providers into the market, especially in rural areas. Investing in infrastructure means helping with the cost of building, renovating, and equipping child care centers. It means supporting providers with start-up expenses so they can open their doors and serve more families. It means making long-term investments so child care programs can stay open and grow over time. 

HB 2239 creates the Child Care Infrastructure Grant Program and Fund. This bill would provide targeted support to expand child care facilities, especially in rural and underserved communities where the need is greatest. Arizona has a proven track record of success in this area. The 2022–2023 Arizona Child Care Infrastructure Grant created new child care slots, improved the quality of care, increased provider capacity, and reduced waitlists. HB 2239 builds on that success by replicating a model that we already know works. 

This bill is about more than buildings. It’s about giving parents more choices, helping businesses, and improving the quality of life for families. It’s about strengthening our workforce and supporting long-term economic growth. It’s about making sure rural Arizona is not left behind.

The child care gap did not happen overnight, and it will not be solved overnight. But with smart, proven investments in child care infrastructure, we can build a system that works for families, businesses, and our state. When we support families, we strengthen our economy. When our communities thrive, Arizona thrives. When we invest in our children, we invest in our future.

Good News: Yesterday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill extending tax credits that make marketplace health insurance plans more affordable. Specifically, a bipartisan majority came together to pass Enhanced Premium Tax Credits (EPTC) for three years, providing vital financial support that helps consumers purchase or maintain health insurance through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace. 

This matters because 425,000 Arizonans receive their care through the ACA Marketplace, many of whom have seen their premiums increase significantly in 2026 without EPTC support. Now too many Arizonans are at risk of or are already unable to afford their health insurance and will go without coverage. 

We thank Representatives Yassamin Ansari, Adelita Grijalva, and Greg Stanton for voting for this bill. 

We are disappointed that Representatives Biggs, Ciscomani, Crane, Gosar, Hamadeh, and Schweikert opposed the bill.

Now the bill will move to the U.S. Senate. Senator Mark Kelly and Senator Ruben Gallego have repeatedly expressed support for keeping health care affordable, including through EPTC’s.

Please continue to share how rising ACA Marketplace premiums and the loss of subsidies impact you through letters to the editor of your local media, social media, and by keeping others informed. This bill can make a difference in keeping children and families insured, and there is more work ahead!